Saddam Hussein is a long way from being out of the Gulf War II woods, but he took a step in the right direction Saturday.

As U.N. weapons inspectors looked on, Iraqi personnel destroyed a few missiles that the world community had deemed illegal. They also destroyed missile-making equipment.

To be sure, there are plenty of missiles left that have to go. There are alleged caches of weapons of mass destruction unaccounted for. There are lots of questions left for the Iraqi leader to answer.

But in recent weeks, Saddam has at least appeared more willing to do what he has to do to keep his hide attached and in good repair.

No doubt that he's only going as far as the inspectors - and a couple hundred thousands U.S. troops - push him, but he's grudgingly heeding President George W. Bush's message. Namely, get rid of everything. Or else.

It's the or else that troubles us. Always has. If Saddam has what the White House says he has and if he has given some of his top officers free rein to use them as reports say he has, then the United States, Britain and any other willing nation will have one heck of a fight on their hands. It won't be a conventional fight, but it will be deadly, perhaps to thousands of stars-and-stripes bedecked men and women and thousands of Iraqi civilians.

It's the thought of Saddam holed up and hopeless in a Baghdad bunker with whatever chemical and biological weapons he might have that concerns us much more than a desert fight with the same folks we saw a decade ago.

That's why we were glad to see the bulldozer crush those missiles Saturday.More steps like that, and maybe all our troops can avoid war in Iraq. We hope so.

It's not like there aren't other problems elsewhere. North Korea comes to mind.